Door restrainer

ABSTRACT

A DOOR RESTRAINING DEVICE COMPRISING COOPERATING COMPONENTS IN THE FORM OF A TONGUE AND A RESTRAINER AFFIXED RESPECTIVELY TO A DOOR AND TO THE CASING THEREFOR TO HOLD THE DOOR IN CLOSED AND APPARENTLY LOCKED POSITION EXCEPT WHEN EXTRAORDINARY FORCE IS APPLIED TOWARD OPENING IT.

Jan. 1251971 5 0. E.- RowE 3,554,591

R RESTRAINER Filed June 5 1968 36 23 FIG-4 M/VE/VTOR 4 T TOR/V5 r United States Patent O 3,554,591 DOOR RESTRAINER Oren E. Rowe, 1441 Flesher Ave., Dayton, Ohio 45240 Filed June 3, 1968, Ser. No. 734,067 Int. Cl. E05c 7/06, 19/06 U.S. Cl. 292-17 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention pertains to the art of closures in general and particularly to the doors of habitable closures. In a still more particular sense, the Present invention pertains to restraining, latching, holding or guiding devices for doors which will appear to be locked and indeed will be held against opening except upon the application of some extraordinary force. Doors having such characteristics are frequently desired where the need for control and confinement of persons requires doors that are at least apparently locked on the one hand and where considerations for the safety of such persons on the other hand require that they have the ability to escape in the event of emergency to the extent that the doors cannot be actually or permanently locked.

Description of the prior art Door holders of this general nature have been used wherein a projecting element on the door or door casing engages resilient clamping or surrounding means on the other door component. The purpose of such prior art devices has however been the mere holding of the door, usually in its open position, against such swinging movement as might be induced by the jarring or movement of the closure of which the door is a part as for example is the case with doors in trains, boats, trailers and other vehicles. While it is true that these prior art devices could be adapted to have something of the same restraining yet safety-escape characteristics, the degree of control of the holding force or of the force required to open the door has been so limited that they could not make the door ap pear to be locked even to a relatively immature or inexperienced person or child. Beyond this, the prior art devices are such that aging has caused changes in their restraining and releasing characteristics to the extent that they are inadequate and even hazardous where the need for confinement of persons on the one hand and the insurance of their ability to escape on the other are of critical importance as in the case of nurseries, hospitals, convalescent homes and the like. Beyond this, the restraining devices themselves have in many cases contributed to the changes in the door opening characteristics by virtue of the fact that the forces they exert upon the door have caused it to warp, stick or otherwise to change position relative to the door jamb or casing which adversely affects the extremes of its opening and closing performance and interferes with its normal operation.

Because of these limitations in the prior art devices, the means that have been heretofore employed for the person or patient control sought by the present invention have taken the form of manually or automatically actuated locking or latching devices which have really not been door restrainers within the meaning of that term as em- "Ice ployed in the present disclosure. In situations where such locking devices have been manually operable as for example is the case with the crash bar opener that is encountered on emergency exits for theaters, hotels and other public accommodations, the device is quite obvious to the persons around the door so that it could have no restraining infiuence upon such persons use of the door. Moreover, in all too many cases such prior art devices have tragically failed to provide sufficient assurance of escape and countless lives have been lost within the confines of doors which those in a state of panic have been unable to operate. So also, the automatic opening or latching devices have proven unsatisfactory in that, in case of an emergency, the automation might fail.

SUMMARY It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an improved door restraining device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door restrainer which will hold a door closed with sufficient force to give it the appearance of being locked on the one hand but will yield to the application of extraordinary force on the other to allow a person normally to be confined by the door to escape therethrough, for example in the case of an emergency.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a door restraining device, the restraining effect of which may be precisely controlled to accommodate a variety of different circumstances.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a door restrainer which will not exert damaging forces upon the door or its frame and will act to compensate for such changes in the relationship between these door components.

To achieve these and other objects and advantages which are apparent from the within disclosure, the present invention provides a projecting tongue-like member having at least one horizontally disposed broadside planar surface and an adjustable clamping component for engaging and holding the tongue-like member. Where the cooperative components are afiixed respectively to a door and a casing in connection with which the door opens and closes, the effect of the holding influence of the clamping member upon the tongue-like member is to keep the door closed until sufiicient force is applied to overcome it. The clamping component comprises at least one horizontally projecting leaf so positioned that, upon the closing of the door, this leaf or an adjustable extension associated with the leaf will form a frictional engagement with one of the broadside faces of the projecting tongue. Adjustment means are associated with the leaf member to control the exact position of that part thereof which is to contact the tongue member as a result of which the forces acting normally to the engaged surfaces when the door is closed may be controlled to provide holding the door closed against a variety of different forces. In a preferred embodiment, the adjustment and abutment means comprise a setscrew threadably passing through the leaf member substantially at right angles thereto so that, when the door is in closed position, the forward end; i.e., the end opposite the head of the screw, will bear against the tongue surface to provide the frictional engagement. Adjustments of the set-screw will of course vary the degree of its protrusion from the opposed face of the leaf and thereby the amount of force exerted by the screw bearing against the tongue and the resultant amount of force required to overcome the engagement between them to open the door.

In another modification of the invention, the clamping member is in the form of a U or similar channel presenting a pair of vertically spaced horizontally extending leaf members between which the tongue moves upon closing of the door. Each of these opposed leaf members may then be provided with an opposed set-screw, the forward end of each of which will engage the opposite broadside surfaces of the tongue member thereby still more precisely to control the frictional engagement between the clamping element and the tongue at both the upper and lower surfaces thereof. A further modification in combination with the set-screw arrangement involves the provision on one or both surfaces of the tongue of a small depression or recess corresponding in cross sectional dimension with that of the set-screw or set-screws so that the forward ends of the screws when properly adjusted, will actually nest within the recesses. This arrangement affords even more firm locking engagement between the clamping device and the tongue and assures a relatively quick release of the two components once sufiicient force has been exerted against the door to cause the end of the set-screw to slide from the recess and away from it along the surface of the tongue. It will be understood that where, as in the preferred case, the tongue and/ or the restraining leaf or leaves are composed of a resilient material such as steel, aluminum or the like, the engagement between the two elements will also be resiliently achieved.

The invention thus generally described may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of certain preferred embodiments thereof in connection with which reference may be had to the appended drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the portions of a door and its frame or casing to which the two principal components of a door restrainer according to the invention are respectively affixed.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view in partial cross section showing the door and restraining device of FIG. 1 in closed position.

FIG. 3 is a plan view in partial cross section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view showing the portion of the tongue member which is engaged by the set-screws of the clamping member.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be observed that a device according to the present invention is adapted to be employed with a conventional door assembly comprising a door and a frame or casing 11 with a projecting jamb 12 providing an abutment surface 13 against which the door 10 will seat when it is in closed position as best illustrated in FIG. 3.

Affixed to the door 10 is the tongue or projecting unit 14 which, in the specific embodiment shown, comprises the two L-shaped members 15 and 16, the base projections 17 and 18 of which are respectively mounted to the door 10 by fastening members such as the wood screws 19 and 20 in such a manner that the other legs of the Us are in contact to form the continuous projecting tongue. To further integrate these two sections of the tongue assembly, they may be joined together as by the nut and bolt 21 and 22 respectively. It is to be understood of course that the entire tongue unit may be of one piece so long as it is provided with a base or other means for mounting it to the door and allowing the tongue-like projection providing the broadside surfaces 23 and 24 to extend horizontally therefrom. Opening upon each of these surfaces is the dimple, small crater or recess such as 25 and 26 which, in the preferred embodiments particularly illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, are vertically aligned so that they may receive the ends of opposed set-screws asso ciated with the clamping member as hereinafter described.

The restrainer or clamping unit of the illustrated embodiment comprises the U- or channel-shaped member 27 made up of a base web 28 and the vertically spaced horizontally projecting leaves 29 and 30. This unit is afiixed to the door jamb or frame 11 by the wood screws 31 and 32 in such a position relative to the door 10 and the tongue member 14 affixed thereto that when the door is closed, the tongue member will lie substantially between the two leaves 29 and 30. These leaves are then provided with the vertically extending opposed set-screws 33 and 34 passing through threaded openings in the respective leaf members and adjustable therein to provide a gap 35 between their opposed respective ends 36 and 37. Such adjustment will provide just the desired amount of force of contact between the set-screw ends 36 and 37 and the tongue-like member 14 when the door is closed as shown in FIG. 2.

As illustrated and previously described, the tongue unit 14 is so mounted to the door relative to the mounting of the clamping unit 27 upon the door jamb that the closing movement of the door causes the tongue to pass between the leaves 29 and 30 and to contact the opposed ends 36 and 37 of the set-screws 33 and 34, In response to the resilient characteristics of the U-shaped member 27 where, as in the preferred case, the same is composed of a resilient material such as a metal like steel, aluminum or the like, the space between the opposed setscrew ends 36 and 37 may be slightly enlarged by deflection of the leaves 29 and 30 to allow the screws to slide over and along the upper and lower surfaces 23 and 24 of the tongue member before coming to rest in the recesses 25 and 26 respectively.

Ideally, the position of the recesses 25 and 26 relative to the tongue and its mounting upon the door is such that the set-screw ends reside in the recesses when the door is in its completely closed position; i.e., when the door abuts against the jamb surface 13 as shown in FIG. 3. The desired adjustment of the set-screws 33 and 34 as determined by the desired spacing of their ends 36 and 37 respectively to provide the gap 35, once established may then be preserved by the use of the lock nuts 38 and 39 which may be tightened against the leaf members 29 and 30 to hold the screws against further rotation during the repeated openings and closings of the door. The precise adjustment of the set-screws will of course depend upon the desired restriction of movement of the door when it is in closed position. Thus, where it is intended that the door should be used to control relatively small children as a result of which a minimal force will be required to prevent their untimely departure on the one hand or only a minimum force will be available to accomplish their escape in an emergency on the other, the force of the frictional engagement between the restraining element and the tongue should be reduced. This reduction may be conveniently achieved by simply unscrewing each of the set-screws a fraction of a turn or more thereby to enlarge the gap 35 between their opposed ends. On the other hand, where older persons and greater forces are likely to be encountered, the set-screws may be tightened thereby to diminish the gap 35. In any event, it has been found that, especially where the recesses such as 25 and 26 are employed, the screws may be readily adjusted to provide the effect and appearance of a locked door until the exertion of just the predetermined amount of force to overcome the frictional engagement between the restrainer and the tongue at which point the door will swing open relatively easily.

Although the same door control may be achieved though to a lesser degree by the use of contact between only one restraining surface or set-screw end and one broadside surface of the tongue, a more precise and uniformly controllable engagement may be maintained where both sides of the tongue are contacted by the restrainer as in the case of the illustrated embodiment. It has been found moreover that in such a construction, the desired adjustment is not so likely to be lost during repeated openings and closings of the door; and another very salutary effect is that the opposed forces provided by the opposed set-screws serve to guide and support the door as it is opened and closed thereby actually improving its overall operation and preventing its sticking, etc.

upon sagging or other changes in its position within its frame as are likely to occur with the passage of time.

While the Within invention has been described in detail in connection with certain specific preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the foregoing particularization and detail have been for the purpose of i1- lustration only and do not limit the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable restraining device .for holding a door in closed and apparently locked position within the door frame except against the application of extraordinary opening force comprising a projecting unit mounted to one of the door components; viz, said door or said door frame, and a restraining unit mounted to the other of said door components wherein said projecting unit comprises a tongue-like member presenting two opposed and horizontally disposed broadside surfaces and said restraining unit comprises two vertically spaced horizontally projecting resiliently defiectable leaves perpendicularly through each of which passes a rod-like member wherein the opposed ends of said rod-like members define a gap into which said tongue-like member moves when the door .is closed within the frame and the broadside surfaces of said tongue-like member are frictionally engaged by said rod-like members.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein those portions of the broadside surfaces of the tongue engaged by the opposed ends of the rod-like members when the door is closed are recessed to provide sockets for receiving the ends of the rod-like members when the door is in completely closed condition.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said rodlike members are set-screws threadably engaging the leaf members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 531,116 12/1894 Hamshaw 29278 920,445 5/1909 Essig 16l32 1,044,843 11/1912 Anhorn 29278 1,358,012 1l/l920 Martin 292l5 1,863,889 6/1932 Wells 16-132 1,941,294 12/1933 Eck et al. 292256.71 2,117,579 5/1938 Smith 99-376 2,248,372 7/1941 May 16131 2,789,850 4/ 1957 Roinestad 29276 FOREIGN PATENTS 214,539 4/1958 Australia 29278 ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner R. L. WOLFE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R, 

